The shift to online play was a major change for the casino industry, with players now having the choice to play games from a device with a solid internet connection rather than needing to travel to a land-based venue. One idea that took a little longer to materialise was the concept of live casino games, bringing together the online platform with elements of live play.
Once broadband strength and internet connectivity improved, online platforms were able to realise this concept of live casino. With a live dealer handling physical game components, streamed to online players through high quality video capture this created a new format to play classic table games.
Let’s take a closer look at the mechanics that allowed live casino games to take off, as well as their general impact on the casino industry.
The mechanics of live casino games
Live casino games may look straightforward on their surface but a lot of technology goes into bringing them to players. Games need to play seamlessly, with no significant lag between the actions of the live dealer and the information relayed to online players.
The general strengthening of broadband across the board was a major factor in helping to realise the concept of live casino games. Slower speeds of internet could not support the real-time video streaming needed for this format.
High-definition cameras are one of the main components of the live casino game setup, with a number of them capturing the table and dealer from a variety of different angles. This allows players to choose which camera views they want to focus on, whether that’s a closeup of the game components or a wider shot of the whole table.
Something that helps to ensure the live stream of the dealer and the online player interface remain properly synced up is the game control unit (GCU). This is a small box attached to the game table which is responsible for encoding the various elements of the game, making sure that the data on the player’s screen is correct.
Optical character recognition (OCR) is another important piece of technology behind live casino games. By translating the images of the playing cards, Roulette wheel and other game components into readable data, the OCR is essential in lining up the online interface with the real-time video feed.
The impacts of live casino platforms
The introduction of live casino options created a new option for online players looking to play a classic table game like Blackjack, Roulette or Baccarat. Now players can choose between a fully digital format, with outcomes determined by a random number generator (RNG), or the live casino format, with its use of physical game components.
As well as classic games, new ones based on gameshow-style mechanics have been created in the live casino format. This has helped to further expand the options that online casino platforms have to offer, as well as giving different sites a way to set themselves apart in their catalogue of games.
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By giving players another way to play classic table games online, the live casino format has been a significant evolution for online casino platforms.
